Source: Apple may not restrict free iPhone apps — In spite of fears that Apple may impose tight restrictions on third-party iPhone applications developed with its upcoming SDK, the company may loosen those restrictions for free programs, Electronista has learned.

IAC: Ready To Bail On Ask? — More on the impending shakeup at IAC's long-suffering Ask. An insider tells us that IAC is considering finally pulling the plug on Teoma, the engine that powers Ask's search, and just using Google: — There is indeed a big shakeup coming. A new Ask.

Open XML voting ends with both sides predicting victory — A pivotal meeting of international delegates to decide the fate of Microsoft's Open XML finished on Friday with advocates and foes of the standards bid predicting victory. — Brian Jones, a program manager at Microsoft involved …

Time Capsule Initial Verdict: Smooth Sailing, No Surprises — We've been fiddling with Time Capsule since it arrived this AM, and so far it works as billed, clean and easy. The star of the show is really the new AirPort Utility software, which now comes with some neat tricks for the network-phobic.

Judge: Wikileaks gets its domain name back — Updated at 1:42 p.m. PST. — SAN FRANCISCO—Wikileaks is getting its domain name back. — After spending 90 minutes or so hearing arguments from a raft of attorneys—two representing the Swiss bank that fought to get the site's plug pulled …

Michael Arrington — Nobody is more obsessed with the doings of Silicon Valley than Michael Arrington, whose 2½-year-old website, TechCrunch.com, has become an international clearinghouse for gossip, rumor, and inside information about the internet business.

Microsoft May Buy Email Startup Xobni — Microsoft has been in acquisition discussions with email startup Xobni, we've confirmed through multiple sources. The company, which launched at the TechCrunch40 conference last year, currently offers an outlook plugin for Windows users …

Will New Blu-ray Drives Suck Your Laptop Battery Dry? — Watching a Blu-ray movie in all its high-definition glory on your laptop may finally become an affordable prospect this year. Just don't wander too far from a power outlet. — With the Sony-backed HD format emerging victorious …

35 Ways to Stream Your Life — It's a pretty good bet that if you're not making a Twitter or Facebook application, you're probably making a lifestreaming application. Okay, so not everyone is into lifestreaming, but it is one of the hottest areas for development out there …

Google Sites: More Trouble for Registrars — Last week, we wrote that the registrars were under increased pressure. Their higher-margin businesses, such as turnkey hosting, were threatened by third-party hosting, simplifiers like Google, and the trend towards distributed SaaS applications.

Microsoft chops Vista retail prices — In what may be an unprecedented decision, Microsoft said Thursday that it plans to lower the retail prices for several flavors of Windows Vista. — For those in the U.S., Microsoft is cutting prices only on the higher-end versions of Vista …